The Next Draft: New breweries meet uncertainty of pandemic with hope

Tuesday

No one would have blamed the owners of Oakholm Brewing Co. if they decided to abandon or, at the very least, defer their dream of opening a brewery in 2020.

Two years of toil costing thousands of dollars went into building Brookfield’s first brewery, set amid the picturesque pastures of Oakholm Farm. Finally, the farm had a shiny 10-barrel brewhouse and a sleek, industrial taproom, newly built from the dusty bones of a decades-old hay barn.

But Oakholm Brewing never got the chance to turn on its taps and ready its glassware. About a month before the taproom’s targeted April opening, the state, in the grip of the worsening COVID-19 outbreak, shut down.

Only, the brewery’s tenacious owners did not see a global pandemic as a reason to stop moving forward, even with bank loans due and no on-premise sales expected in their immediate future. They even reached into their own pockets again to pay for the final few pieces of the taproom’s construction.

“If you go 90% of the way, it can’t fall through. You almost have to finish it,” said Oakholm Brewing co-owner Richard Predella. “We really believe in what we’re doing at this an iconic place here in Brookfield.”

During Mother’s Day weekend, Oakholm Brewing, 80 Lake Road, started selling beer for the first time. Per the state's order, you couldn't buy a pint in the taproom and marvel at the barn’s perfectly restored ceiling beams. Instead, the brewery had five different cans available for curbside pick-up and a food truck — not the grand opening Predella and his partners had pictured.

So much of the recent news about breweries has focused, understandably, on the layoffs and declining revenue. But in Oakholm and other breweries that have had no choice but to open in these uncomfortable times, I see hope.

Despite never having had the opportunity to welcome people inside their taprooms — to fret over stolen glasses or hold a trivia night — these breweries have tapped into tremendous excitement and support from the community.

Hours before its debut, Oakholm Brewing already had more than 200 online orders for beer. More surprising were the more than 80 people who paid the $100 membership fee for the taproom's mug club, even with the taproom’s opening date still unknown.

Less than a year ago, I stood with Andrew Woodward, co-owner and head brewer, in the foundation of his brewhouse. We were looking up at the empty barn, still covered in dust and cobwebs, as he described the pride that he’d feel seeing crowds fill his taproom.

When I spoke with Woodward last week, he expressed that same feeling, but in watching hundreds of cars arrive to buy cans during the brewery’s curbside sale earlier this month. Throughout the shutdown, Woodward has celebrated the small victories, like getting his beer in cans.

He brewed five different beers for the opening: “Tractor Bier,” an ale that drinks like a lager, “North Pond Blonde,” an American blonde ale, “Pole 63,” a hazy pale ale, “Crooked Post,” a New England IPA, and “Cows Over the Moon,” a milk stout.

“To finally get the beers in cans, we were jumping for joy,” Woodward said. “That was Friday, May 8. We decided to sell them the next day. That night we were organizing with the whole team, figuring out who’s doing what.”

That team, made up of mostly friends and family, has helped take orders and deliver beer to cars during the last two weekends the brewery has opened for curbside sales.

“We’ve had a barrage of people volunteer to help us out — a lot of family,” Predella said. “We had a bunch of people from my side, and a bunch from Andrew’s side.”

About 40 minutes away in Rutland, on another farm, Milk Room Brewing Co. only got to open two weekends — one in February and one in March — before having to close its rustic taproom.

Owner Kevin Jarvi built the taproom inside a former milking room at Alta Vista Farm, at one time the oldest and largest bison farm in the state. Jarvi held a soft opening in February and scheduled an official opening date for March 14, the same day the state ordered restaurants, bars and taprooms closed for on-site consumption.

I visited Milk Room Brewing, 80 Hillside Road, one day before the shutdown; news about the state’s outbreak was growing more dire by the day, but Jarvi was upbeat as he took me outside and introduced me to Marvin, his 6-month-old camel, which he keeps as part of the farm’s petting zoo.

Since then, Jarvi has stayed busy despite closing his taproom: He canned his beers for the first time and expanded his brewhouse, installing a new brew system and larger tanks.

“We’re very fortunate that all of this started with the help of my good friends,” he said. “I didn’t have to go out with a staff of 15 people with full benefits.”

Milk Room Brewing has also found a niche in beer — and meat — deliveries. When Jarvi and his wife, Ann, bought the farm three years ago, the same farm where he spent summers as a teen working, he brought bison back to its pastures and opened up a shop for its lean meat.

During the week, you can order any of his bison and Black Angus cuts with beer, including his "Hoppy Buffalo Double IPA," "Black Buffalo Stout," and "Alta Vista IPA," and have it all delivered to your door.

As the state slowly allows businesses to operate again, it's unclear how, when or if brewery taprooms will return to normal operations. In the meantime, both Milk Room and Oakholm want to take advantage of the outdoor space at their farms.

Jarvi had always planned to make full use of Alta Vista's 100 acres. He sees his brewery as more of a family destination, hoping to showcase his animals and his farm.

“It was a big part of our plan from the beginning to really try to make it a place for warmer weather; it’s perfect for people to be outside, see the rolling hills and hang out with the bison,” he said.

Oakholm Brewing co-owner Chris Predella, Richard Predella’s son, dedicated many hours to cleaning up the farm’s grounds after buying it in 2017. For years, an overgrowth of grass and weeds hid its brilliance.

“Chris has this place looking amazing,” Woodward said.

The brewery will use the space behind the brewhouse, a beautiful section of the property overlooking North Pond, in the months ahead, setting up its beer trailer and inviting people to picnic at a safe distance, he said.

“I’ve thought about this for a long time — whenever I would see the farm, driving down Lake Road, with North Pond in the distance. It’s a destination, a place where people want to come and hang out,” he said.

For the most up-to-date information on Oakholm Brewing Co. (oakholmbrewing.com) and Milk Room Brewing Co. (milkroombrewing.com) — their hours and available beer — visit their websites and social media accounts.